Author's note: My one chapter for February, to make things even. I've been in this slump for too long. Time to get back on track, and get this thing going once more.
"Joshua." began Ecca, facing the blue Octoling. "What was that about?" she asked him with a mostly serious but grave face. "You caused a scene in the club." she gravely told him.
"I couldn't let that slander by." Josh said in a dead tone. "I couldn't let my love for you be publicly doubted. I don't like my name being slandered like that." he said in a pained expression. "Especially, my love for you. Nobody questions that." he said in a firm tone. Ecca sighed for a while, pausing what she's doing.
"Listen, Josh." she began. "I don't doubt your intent, ok?" she said, cupping her palms in Josh's face. "Why else would that night and this relationship happen then?" she said in a forceful tone. "I put my full trust in you, ok?" she told him. At that point, Josh felt even more shame than the pain from his bruises, which were a nasty shade of blue.
He sighed. "I'm…sorry. I was a little drunk… but that shouldn't be an excuse…" he breathed out. "He had it out for me since back in the Academy. Always belittling my achievements, always pointing out my mistakes far more than my rights…" he sighed. "Anything I do wasn't enough for him…and then…that incident happened."
"Yes. I remember that one." she sighed. "You pushed your luck too hard, and paid the price. Your reputation as the star of the Propaganda group just shattered then and there. Marina even had to demote you after all that kerfuffle." she sighed.
"I remember those days…days that I want to burn away forever." He muttered, sitting down in the dining area's chairs. "Those days…just…general despair, overall." he muttered, then sighed sadly. "You do know I was only like that because I'm not committed to anyone else then, but trust me, I'm always by your side." Josh told Ecca, who was resuming her cooking.
"That much I do know more after that little stunt you pulled." quipped Ecca. "And so just its ingrained more into that blue brain of yours…I, TRUST, YOU." she emphasized. "So don't go pulling that stunt again, you hear me?" she told Josh.
"I promise." Josh said softly, "I'll try to keep my temper in check for you, my love." he said, as he put his arms around Ecca's waist.
"Don't try to patronize me, still kinda mad at you." she scoffed.
"If it makes you feel better, I'll be off your hair after this." Josh stated.
"Hmm? Going home?" she asked.
"Yeah, I would. Feeling ashamed already that you're making me breakfast after last night." Josh shamefully said, as Ecca laid the food out. The two soon ate their breakfast in relative silence, only stopping to occasionally check their phones. Soon, Josh prepared to leave Ecca's apartment.
"Hey, remember what I said, okay?" she told Josh, as he was walking away.
"Yes ma'am." was the only thing he said. He soon exited the gates of Ecca's apartment.
*Meanwhile in the Square…
Celia, Evan, and Jesse just arrived at the Square. Along with Nate, they were gathered to educate the young yellow Inkling about Turf, playing with her in a League setting. Today, they were teaching her how to work with different types of weapons in a faster-paced setting than Turf.
"So, who's the new kid here?" Nate asked the two other Inklings.
"Celia Seaspray, Jesse's lil' sis." Evan said.
"Hello." The yellow Inkling shyly waved at Evan's friend. "What is your name, mister?"
"Ah, me? Nate Indigo, best heavy shooter!" he proudly announced.
"Nate pls." Evan scoffed. Meanwhile, Jesse was busy looking at the League modes and maps for the current rotation.
"Well, you're in luck Celia." she spoke up finally. "Splat Zones. Best mode for beginners," she looked to Celia. "And in…The Reef and Ancho-V Games…fair enough. What say you, little sunshine?" she asked her younger sister.
"Sounds fine to me, I guess." Celia said in an unsure manner.
"Well then, let's go!" Nate beckoned. The four then entered the Tower, and headed for the League floor, after registering themselves as a team. Soon, they entered a room, which they had to themselves for a good while.
"I wonder…what kind of teams are we up against today?" wondered Evan, fiddling with his Kensa Dualies.
"Ha! Doesn't matter, we're gonna break through them for the win!" Nate excitedly crowed.
"Calm yourself there, hotshot." scoffed Jesse, heaving her E-Liter 4k. "Don't get too heroic out there, guy." she chided the indigo Inkling.
"I just hope we can pull on without too many splats…" Celia said, her grip on her Splattershot trembling slighltly.
"Relax, Celia." Evan assured the younger Inkling. "If we stay coordinated, we can pull through this." he said to the rest of the group.
"Just follow my call-outs and we good, hear?" barked Jesse to the team. Soon, the opposing team arrived, bringing a Sloshing Machine, an N-Zap 83, a Kensa Splatterscope, and a Clear Dapple Dualies.
"Competition has arrived!" cheered Nate rather loudly. "I sure do hope it'll be great match, it'll be a shame if it ends early!" he continued. Evan was facepalming at his friend's loudness, while Jesse was busy preparing Celia for the match.
"Remember the maneuvers I taught you ok?" Jesse reminded Celia.
Soon, it was time for the match. Jesse and co. were purple, while their opponents are in cyan. The female PA voice announced: "Commencing Splat Zones match in…Ancho-V Games." Both teams got into their respective Launch Pads to depart for the battleground.
The teams then immediately submerged into their Launch Pads as soon as they arrived.
Three… Two… One… Off the teams went, in a flurry of ink.
Both teams rushed to the Zone, in an effort to immediately take charge of the designated area. As soon as both teams arrived at the middle, violet and cyan clashed violently, and platforms rose and dipped to the players' whim. Jesse took a platform for herself to snipe on the enemies. In usual fashion, Nate was going aggressive with the range on his 96-Gal, but was getting outplayed by the faster N-Zap and Clear Dapples.
Luckily, he had Evan to help, who is far more prudent picking his own weaved in and out of the Kensa Splatterscope user's range with relative ease, but was certainly struggling more against the opposing Dualie, in firepower at least.
"Hey Nate, try not to overextend?" Evan called out to the side-tail Inkling. His warning came a little too late, as Nate exploded in a violet puddle as the Splatterscope found it's mark. In retaliation, Jesse aimed her E-Liter at the opposing Charger user, and immediately made her pay for it, due to the supreme range on the E-Liter.
"Sis?..." called out Celia, being harried by the enemy. At once, Jesse lined the offending opponent up, hitting her mark with relative ease. Soon, another enemy approached the zone, but Celia's hair flaring up spelled certain doom, as she immediately harnessed the Special: Splashdown. The enemy tried running, but was ultimately wiped from the sheer amount of ink in the explosion.
"Thanks a lot, sis!" cheered Celia.
"You're welcome, now defend the Zone." she instructed the younger squid. "Use your subs efficiently!" she called out to her. Nate and Evan covered off the other part of the Zone, this time with Nate utilizing his range more efficiently, using the high ground as a vantage point. He soon however was contested by the Kensa Splatterscope, diving in ink to avoid the shots.
"Somebody delete this Charger and fast!" Nate growled. "He's getting on my nerve!" he yelled.
"Jesse!" Evan called out. Without a word, she set her sights on the opposing Charger. The opposing Charger put up a fight, but eventually succumbed to Jesse's prowess.
"Anytime." Jesse scoffed at Nate, repositioning an Ink Mine.
Evan can be interpreted as dancing around the opponents with all the superb rolls he was doing, outwitting the enemies. The situation was dire for the enemy team: 41-99. The enemy team tried piling on Celia and bullying her, but the three other members were not having it.
Said young squid was being accompanied by Nate, blocking off whoever dares approach the Zone. Things got heated fast, as the N-Zap user, made worse by the unleashing of the enemy Sting Ray by the enemy Sloshing Machine. Both squids ran for cover, Nate fending for both him and Celia, although Celia was not a total pushover, matching the N-Zap quite nicely, but her amateur-ness is showing, barely escaping the enemy, which was popped off by Nate's 96-Gal.
However, some moments later, both Jesse and Evan fell to the enemy ambush, conducted by three of the enemy: the Sloshing Machine, the Clear Dapples, and the Kensa Splatterscope. Nate and Celia were surprised that they were eliminated, which in turn allowed the enemy to take over and trigger the penalty period for Jesse and company.
"Dammit." grunted Nate.
"We have to be careful mister, while Evan and sis respawn." Celia told her companion.
"Understood, little girl." Nate nodded. As he said that, he took the high ground, while Celia was hiding below him, in order to avoid detection. Soon enough, Celia and Evan jumped back to the fray, both being miffed at the change of situation. Jesse shook her head at the score ticking down.
"Carp, we got hard-ambushed…" he groaned.
"You can say that again." Jesse remarked. Evan then began chucking Burst Bombs to start painting the Zone back again to their favor. The time was waning fast, putting pressure on them to start retaking the objective before things get out of hand. Already, the enemy is at 88 on the scoreboard, and ticking fast.
"Nate, gun him down!" barked out Evan, engaging the Clear Dapples user. Without a word, Nate let loose on his 96-Gal and honed in on the target, desperately swimming away from the heavy shots, but just a stray shot and one false move proved to be the undoing.
Celia then kept out the N-Zap and Sloshing Machine user with the help of her sister, who took down the Machine user, taking the speed advantage to full fruition. With that crucial blow, Jesse's team secured the Zone with a little over a minute remaining. Both teams duked it out fiercely for the Zone, right up until the dying seconds of the match.
The cyan team desperately tried to claw back the game from Jesse and her purple cohorts, amounting to a few times they got forced out to regroup and avoid getting splatted.
Ten… The Kensa Splatterscope user let out a shot on the slippery Evan, which just whizzed past by.
Nine… The Sloshing Machine user flanked Jesse, who was engaging the Clear Dapples user. Nate spotted the ambush in time, firing upon the intruder.
Eight…Seven…
Six…Five…Four…
Three…Two…One
The whistle blared, putting a stop to the match. As per usual, Judd and Lil Judd mulled over the match, but it took them only a few seconds to declare that cyan team's efforts were ultimately futile, as Jesse's team, in purple, won. The two teams shook hands, and Nate even complimented them for the match.
"Gave us a scare there when y'all ambushed our big guns!" he chortled at the Sloshing Machine user.
"Sure did, but you gave us a bigger one in the end!" he remarked.
"Good game, guys." Evan was shaking the hand of the Clear Dapples user. "Gave me a run for my money!"
"Oh? I looked like a chump out there compared to you." he chided. Soon, they both went their separate matches, and Jesse, Evan, Celia and Nate racked up quite an amount of wins.
*Later that afternoon, back in the Square…
Josh met an Octoling unlike any he had seen before outside of Ecca. She had innocence just like the rest of them about Inkopolis, but isn't the type to be fooled easily. They were seen casually chatting outside Deca Tower, having finished a few Turf Matches.
"You play a mean midline!" he complimented.
"Thanks, fellow Octoling." she replied.
"May you grace me with your name?" he humbly asked, to the other's puzzlement.
"Hmm? Yeah, I suppose. I am Shannon, one of the first Octoling settlers in Inkopolis." she then smiled shiftily.
"Oh? Wow, that makes you a pioneer, then!" exclaimed Josh mildly. "Snacks? On me." He offered the magenta Octoling.
"Hmm, I suppose it's in order." She smiled appreciatively. Hidden somewhere was a pink-haired Octoling male, armed with a camera…Fabian.
"Heh, canoodling another Octoling, are you?" he smirked, taking aim. "Gotcha." he snapped the image of Josh and Shannon happily sharing a snack and exchanging small talk. "Oh Ecca…don't tell me I didn't told you about this muckerfisher." he smirked. He then came out of his hiding place without anyone noticing he was there in the first place. He then went on to enter Deca Tower, no one the wiser.
Oblivious to the deed, Josh and Shannon happily continue chatting away.
"So, how was the first days being in Inkopolis?" Josh asked.
"Oh? Well, there was a lot to be used to…" she trailed off. "For one, I had to be used to actual sunlight." she remarked. "It basically was living another life…"she said.
"Actually, my siblings were here first…" Josh told her. "Then the rest of us moved in, which would be my dad, mom, and me, sometime after Octavio was defeated by Agent 4." he narrated.
"Oh? They must be quite high in the turf leaderboard then?" inquired Shannon.
"My oldest has reached retiring age for Turf. In a few years, so will my brother and sister too." he answered. Shannon's phone then rang, excusing herself from Josh momentarily.
"I may need to answer this." she told him, immediately picking up her phone to see who it was. Soon enough, the caller was revealed to be none other than Agent 2, aka Marie.
"Hello?" greeted the female Octoling.
"All Agents, gather to coordinates, immediately." Marie's voice spoke over the phone. "Will be sending you the coordinates now. Agent 2 out." she closed out. Feeling a sudden rush, Shannon eagerly awaited the SMS while finishing off her drink. It soon came, with the details on Marie's location.
"I must go." She bade the male Octoling. "I have urgent business to attend to." she told him.
"So soon?" he asked her, a bit of disappointment crossing his face. "Welp, this is where we part ways now, I think." he bade her. "Places to be and all." he sighed. The female then began leaving, her steps double paced.
Later, on the way the site, in the outskirts of Inkopolis, several Sanitized troops came out of the alleys, honing on Shannon. The simultaneous battle cries of the alien cephalopods startled the passerby, sending them into a panic.
"Everybody, get into safety!" beckoned Shannon to everyone around her, bringing out her Turf weapon. The Sanitized closed in around her, a scenario she was all too familiar with now.
"Ugh…" Shannon groaned as they approached. The fight began, with Shannon being fired upon by the whole squad. They were armed with the standard Octo Shot, with leader wielding a modified version of the Jet Squelcher.
Shannon proceeded to disperse of the small fry first, doing so with relative ease, disposing one after the other. All the time in the Deepsea Metro proved to be the edge for Shannon, artistically weaving in and out of the enemy's fire. She then turned to the leader, who was the only fighter remaining from the ambush squad. She then skillfully dueled the leader, only ever getting slightly damaged by droplets of enemy ink.
She then easily disposed of the enemy with a well-placed rip of her weapon, letting loose just as she saw an opening. With the ambush dealt with, Shannon continued on with her destination.
*Meanwhile…
Evan was preparing to depart for Marie's coordinates when out of the woodwork, a squad of Sanitized troops came out. Panic ensued as the teal-skinned soldiers began firing upon the crowd to get to Evan.
"Aw crap." he grunted, as the Sanitized began their attack on him. He then readied his weapons to defend himself and get on with his trip. He began by letting rip a stream of green ink at a Sanitized soldier, catching it square in the face. He then slid around the lamp post to dodge the retaliatory attack. The others tried to pincer him in, but Evan proved too skillful for that move, slipping between two of the squadron.
Evan then began his counter-attack by letting loose another volley of shots, eliminating one of the then swiftly set his attention on the other one he was hitting on earlier, eliminating her(it?) by a Splat Bomb rolling onto her feet.
The two remaining Sanitized, one being Elite, snarled at Evan for disposing their squad mates effortlessly. Both charged in guns blazing, but Evan then aimed a sweep kick, tripping them both. He then proceeded to toss the Splat Bomb, only angry screams heard before they exploded in cyan goop.
"That was some workout, if nothing else." he quipped. He then went on his way, texting Marie of the situation he got himself into.
"Sanitized ambush got me delayed. Dealt with now. Four out." he typed, as he hailed a cab. He then requested to be hauled off to a building that was nearby Marie's coordinates. He soon came to a quiet town center, disembarking at the library building.
Evan entered the library, which was modestly stocked with research material, both in books and tech. Marie was reading a book, keeping her cover with a wide-brimmed hat. Waiting with her are Pearl, who was listening to music with her hoodie up, Marina, who was analyzing something on her laptop. Jesse and Callie were having a discussion at the other table, wearing outfits far from their usual ones.
"We've heard about your encounter, Four." Marie began. Not too long after, an innocent-looking Octoling sidled in, a faint but evident air of battle around her: Shannon.
"Hey guys." she breathed out.
"Everybody's here!" chirped Callie, who unpredictably flocked to Evan. "Hey, are you alright?" she said in a soft tone, "I heard from Marie about the ambush." she told the green Inkling.
"Nothing I can handle, Cal." he assured the female, stroking her face lightly. "So, what's up?" he asked the group in general.
"I assume we can begin, yes?" Marie beckoned the attention of the group. They all silently agreed, sitting down at their desired spots: Callie taking up one beside Evan, along with Shannon. Marie, Jesse, Marina and Pearl occupied the other side, with Marie taking up the head of the table.
"The RFR are definitely ramping up their attacks." Marie began. "Already, Agents Four and Five here were on the receiving end of such attacks. She then huffed, before continuing. "Reports of such ambushes were sighted in several towns per Sheldon's surveillance drones." she said, sending everyone said photos.
"Brinestar, New Leaf, Ocean View…"she went, "all reporting Sanitized activity, terrorizing the city before city troops put them down." she continued. Suddenly, loud banging can be heard from the library entry, followed by the door being broke down and the digitalized battle cries of at least several squadrons of Sanitized.
"Not this again…" sighed Jesse, readying for a fight.
And they get roped into another fight once more…sigh. How would the Phantom—I mean New Squidbeak deal with yet another intrusion in their meeting? Find out next chapter! Catfish out.